Apparatus for the destructive distillation of oil shale



.4 v. 1,618,038 L. R'. ABERNATHY APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTIVE IDISTIILLATIOIN OF OIL- SHALE Filed 'Dec 1, 1924 ".2. flay/707% Patented Feb. 15, 1 92.7;

Qumran STATES amass .nnn RLZ-ABERNATIHY, OF-LEAD, SOUTH DAKOTA.

APPARATUS non riin nns'rnuorlvn n'rs'rILLA'rIoN or on. SHALE."

ZAp ucamn filed'December 1, 1924'. seria No. 753,249.

This invention relates to process and ap-;

-'paratus for distilling oil, gas or gases from oil shale. and it includes novel steps and features hereinafter described and claimed.

The process consists in distributing the powdered oil shale in the chamber of a re- [tort and simultaneously heating the pow- -the lower end of the chute 2",iand the gas dered or crushed oil shale in the retort-by the use of superheated steam, and 1 n drawlng the gases from the intermediate portion of v the distributingchamber.

The apparatus includesahopper provided at its. bottom with a chutefwhich' communicates with theinterior of a chamber mounted upon the-retort. and gas. dome-is located inthe chamber, and means are provided for drawing the gas from the upperv portion of the said dome-. Means are provlded for injecting superheated steamv intd-the shale in the retort, .wherebythe gas is separated from the shale and ascends into the gas dome. A conveyor is provided below the retort and is adapted vto remove thev exhausted shale from the apparatus. 1

In the accompanying draw ing: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the apparatus for distilling gas from oil shale. Figure 2' is a plan view of the means for Shale. v

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the injector used in the extractor. j

The apparatus includes a hopper 1, which is adapted to hold the powdered 0'51 shale.

The hopper 1 is provided at its bottom with a chute 2. The lower end of the chute 2 communicates with theinterior of-chamber e mounted upon ,a retort body 5. Two

a dome 14 and said dome is located under .receiver 15 is held 'spac'edj; trom the inner surfaces of the walls of th ehamber'Et. pipe 16 connects at one en'd with the-dine 14- and at its other'end withtlre casing are A combined distributor.

"suction pump 17 adapted to be operated by a belt 18, in a usual manner. The pipe sections Tend the-nozzles 8 are conhectcd with heated steam may be supplied to the sections 7 and the nozzles 8.' 'The pipe 19 'is provided'with a valve 20, which controls the passage of thesteam through the said pipe. ,The said valve is connected with the grate 6, and the said grating serves-as.tl'1ern'i0- static means for controlling the valves and the passage of the steam through the pipe 19.. The process of distilling oilgasfrom the oil shale rock consists in subjecting the crushedv shale to the separating actionfot superheated steam; heated atetem-perature from 700 Fahrenheit -to 950 Fahrenheit, whereby the oil gas is recovered without burning the. same. The crushed shale is placed in the hopperl and passed through a steam. line' pipe 19, through which super-' the chuteQ by' gravity. The oil shale passes over the gasreceiver 15, which serves as a.

. spreader orfldistributor' for the oilshale, and enters the chamber and the retortat the same i time the superheated steam. is passed into the retort through the pipe 19 and is injected into the powdered oil shale through the outlet openings of the pipe sections 7 and v the nozzles- 8. The steam being-thusinti-. injecting the superheated steam into the oil mately mingled with the oil shale separates the gases therefrom, and the gas in the form of vapor ascends and passes into the receiver 15 andunder the hdod l t. From the hood '14 the gas is' drawn through the pipe 16 by the suction'pump 17. A conveyor 12 is catedin the lower portion of the retort and receives the exhausted oil shale and carries the. same out of the retort in the usual manner;

The uppertects the upper steam pipes 7 from. the weight of the oil shale coming down through the upper portion-of the retort from the ex- 1 pansionchamber. The nozzles 8 extend at right angles from the-' upper. pipes 7, and the lower extreniities of the ends of 'the nozzles rest upon the lower angle ironst-ruooutlet or distributing opening from theweight of the oil shale, whichsis moving down through the 'retort. Thus, it will be Aws'eenthat two means are. provided for dis- *tributing the steam within the retort, and

.both of these means are protected by angle v I i 1 A gratingfi of angle iron pro--- iron structuresagainst the Weight of the oil .of the chamber and provided at its top with shale. Therefore it will be seen that the a dome, an outlet pipe connected With the steam may be'injeeted into the oil shale 1n dome, and a hopper mounted directly above "uniform and steady streams. the dome of. the gas collector and spaced 15 Havingthus described my invention; what therefrom so that the 01 1 shale may flow isclaimed is: down onto the dome along the outersurface An apparatus for the distillation of oil ofthe gas collector to be distributed in the from oil shales con'iprising a retort, m'eans chamber above the retort. i

I for. injecting superheated steaminto the re- In testimony whereof I atfix'my' signature. 20 tort, a chamber mounted upon the retort, a j

mile-shaped gas collector located in the top LEE R. ABERNATIIY. 

